Flexible jaw wrench having multiple adjusting means



Feb. 21, 1950 J. H. SCHOENBERGER FLEXIBLE JAW WRENCH HAVING MULTIPLE ADJUSTING MEANS 3 SheetsSheet 1 Filed March 19, 1945 1950 .J. H. SCHOENBERGER 294987532 FLEXIBLE JAW WRENCH HAVING MULTIPLE ADJUSTING MEANS Filed March 19, 1945 s sheets-sheet 2 Feb. 21, 1950 J. H. SCHOENBERGER 2,498,532

FLEXIBLE JAW WRENCH HAVING MULTIPLE ADJUSTING MEANS Filed March 19, 1945 I s Sheets-Sheet s I HHHHHH HHHI'IHHI A48 HIIIHIHH HHIHIHIII- Patented Feb. 21 1950 UNITED STATES FLEXIBLE JAW WRENCH HAVING MULTIPLE ADJUSTING John Henry Schoenberger, Coronado, Calif.

Application March 19, 1945', Serial-No. 583,595

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to wrenches, and more especially to adjustable wrenches of the flexible jaw type which may be effectively used in gripping work of widely difierent sizes and shapes.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an improved wrench construction which is simple and. compact in form, and which may be more speedily operated in either direction and in more confined spaces'than conventional wrenches.

Another object of the invention is to provide a Wrench of the aforementioned type which is characterized by the provision of a rigid jaw movably mounted on the wrench body and adjustable in opposite directions respectively towards and away from th work, together with an opposed flexible jaw or band which is detachably connected to the wrench body and in such man ner that it may be contracted or expanded about the work to a limited extent independently of movement of the movable rigid jaw associated therewith.

It is within the purview of the invention to provide a Wrench of the. type described above, which is preferably equipped with a plurality of interchangeable rigid jaws and/or flexible bands of different shapes, sizes and arrangement to suit th various types and forms of work with which the wrench may be used, said interchangeable jaws and bands being adapted to be sold with the wrench as a complete kit, or separately as interchangeable attachments, as preferred.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter described and the novel features thereof defined by the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view partly in section and partly in front elevation of a wrench constructed in accordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is a view of the wrench in side elevation, as seen towards the bottom of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a View in front elevation generally 2 Figure 8 is an end;.view of the auxiliary jaw shown inFigure 7;

Figure '9 is .a front view of a slightly modified form of auxiliary jaw which is adapted to be removably mounted on the band as in Figure 7;

Figure 1 0 shows still another form of. auxiliary jaw equipped with a protective or cushioning face which may be used with. polished or highly fin.- ished' work to prevent scratching or marring thereof;

Figure: 111 is a fragmentary detail View showing a protective cover or cushion applied to the. main jaw which is opposedto the band-supported jaw of Figure 10-;

Figure 12 is a View in elevation of still another modified form of band-supportedjaw or gripping member; and

Figure 13 is a plan view of the jaw of Figure 12, as seen towards the bottom of the latter figure.

Like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings. Referring first to the form of the wrench shown in Figures '1 to 3 inclusive, i denotes generally the Wrench body which is provided at its outer or work-engaging side with a recess 2 which may be milled or otherwise suitably formed therein to slidably receive a movable main jawmember 3. The work-engaging face of the jaw 3 may be of any desired form, according to the type of work with whichthewrench is to be used, and in general, this work-engaging face will have the form of angularly-disposed serratedsurfaces 4, 5 which may be effectively frictionall-y engaged with round, polygonal, or other workshapes.

As best seen in Figure 1, the jaw 3 is provided with'a-n elongated slott extending therethrough at about the center thereof. A guide pin 1 extends through the wrench body i from front. to back, and through the slot 6 in the jaw 3. This pin 1 is not intended to take any strain imposed on the jaw 3, but merely serves to keep the jaw 3 from becoming. inadvertently disengaged from the wrench body, while at the same time, permitting a limited movement: of the jaw'inwardly and outwardly of the recess 2 in the body l. Obviously, byremoving the pin '1, the jaw 3 may be removed from the wrench body for replacement by another jaw having work-engaging faces 4, 5 of different form.

Extending rearwardly from the wrench body I and rigidly carried thereby is an arm 8 which is preferably of cylindrical form, and which may be of any desired length. This arm 8 is externally threaded at its free end for a suitable distance, as indicated at 9, and is provided with a central bore I extending axially therethrough from its extreme outer end to the base of the recess 2 in the wrench body I. Disposed in the bore I0 and freely slidable endwise therein is a plunger pin II, which is of somewhat greater length than the distance from the base of the recess 2 in the wrench body I to the extreme outer end of the arm 8. Thus, one end of the plunger pin II is adapted to abut against the bottom. of the movable jaw 3, as indicated at I2, while the opposite end of the plunger projects from the extreme outer end of the arm 8, as indicated at I3.

Mounted on the end of the arm 8 and threadedly engaged therewith is a cylindrical hand grip member I4 provided with an internally threaded counterbore I5 to engage the threads 9 on the arm 8. By rotating the member I4 relative to the arm 8, in one direction, the bottom I6 of the bore 55 will be forced against the projecting end I3 of the plunger II, thereby moving the jaw 3 in an outward direction relative to the recess 2, and towards the work adapted to be engaged by the faces 4, 5 of the jaw. Rotation of the member I4 in the opposite direction permits the jaw 3 to be retracted or moved inwardly of I the recess 2, away from the work. The member I4, together with the arm 8, constitute the operating handle for the wrench, and by means of which the wrench may be manipulated in an obvious manner to respectively screw up and loosen pipes, nuts, bolts, and many other types of work. I

Disposed in opposed relation to the main jaw 3 is a flexible jaw I! which has the form of a band of any suitable length and width. Each end of :1.

the band I! has attached thereto a transversely extended pin I8, the opposite ends of which project somewhat beyond the opposite edges of the band proper. These pins I8, I8 are adapted to be interlockingly engaged with the wrench body I, and for this purpose, the opposite faces of the body I are laterally extended at one side of the body, as indicated at I9, and in these extended faces, one or more notches 20, is provided for selective engagement with the pin I8 on one end of the band I'I.

At the opposite side of the wrench body I, there is pivotally attached thereto at 2| a U-shaped bracket 22. The parallel arms 23, 23,

of the bracket 22, lie on opposite sides of the :19

wrench body I, and the ends of the arms 23, 23, opposite to the point at which they are pivotally connected at 2| to'the wrench body, are interconnected by a transversely extended wall 24 which, when the bracket'22 is in the position shown in Figure 1, is disposed substantially parallel to the innerface 25 of the wrench body and overlaps this face at the corner of the body. A notch 23 is provided in this corner of'the wrench body I, and this notch may be releasably engaged by an adjustable screw member 2'! having a threaded shank 28 extended througha correspondingly threaded opening formed in the wall 24 of the bracket 2'2.

Each of the arms 23, 23 of the bracket 22 is provided with one or more notches 29, corresponding to the notches 20, to detachably engage the pin I8 on the opposite end of the band H. In the use of the band I1, one end of the band is. engaged with the wrench body 5 by engagement of the pin I 8 with one of the notches 20. The band is then passed around the work so that the work will be embraced between the band and the main jaw 3, the opposite end of the band being then attached to the wrench'body by engagement of the other pin I8 with one of the notches 29 in the bracket 22. To facilitate the connection of this end of the band with the notches 23, it may be necessary, under some conditions, to release the screw 27 to disengage the same from the notch 23, and then swing the bracket 22 to the position indicated in Figure 3 of the drawings. Thereafter, when the end of the band has been engaged with one of the I notches 23, the bracket 22 may be swung back to the position shown in Figure 1, and the screw 21 reengaged with the notch 26 to lock the bracket in this position. This swinging movement of the bracket 22 produces a limited expansion and contraction of the band I'I, according to the direction of movement of the bracket, and hence the. bracket 22 constitutes a means for making a preliminary adjustment of the band or flexible jaw I'I independently of adjustment of the main jaw 3. The final tightening of the wrench about the work may be conveniently made by forcing the jaw 3 tightly against the work by rotating the member I4 which forms a part of the operating handle, as previously described.

Under some conditions, the wrench may be applied to the work without detaching the band from engagement with the bracket 22, under which conditions, the adjustment of the wrench can be made solely by rotation of the member I4 in the proper direction, this member constituting the means for adjusting the main jaw 3. By suitable control of the .wrench, it may be used to produce-a ratchet efiect,;thus contributingto its speedy performance and enabling the same to be used in confined spaces. It will be obvious that a wrench constructed in accordance with the present invention may be used in certain instances where confined space pro-. hibits the use of conventional wrenches. Referring now to the modified form of the.

invention shown in Figures 4 to 6 inclusive, the construction is generally similar to that previously described and the identical parts have been correspondingly designated in these figures. Instead of attaching one end of the band I? directly to the wrench body I and attaching the manipulated in a manner comparable to the con-- ventional manipulation of the handles of a pair of pliers. I4 may be gripped together in one hand by the user when the handle 34 has been swung into abutting engagement with the member I4, as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings. To bring the handle 34 closer to the member I4 in their abutting relation, the handle 34 is preferably grooved or'channeled lengthwise, as indicated at 35. When the handle 34 is in the position shown in Figure 4, the bracket 3!! assumes a position with its notches 32 corresponding to the position of the notches 20 in Figure 1, this position representing the position of maximum contraction of the band or flexible jaw I1 so far as this con-- traction is produced by actuation of the handle 34. By swinging the handle 34 away from the member I4, as for example, to the position shown in Figure 6, the band I! may be quickly expanded Thus, the handle 34 and the member by either the bracket 3i? or the bracket 22 alone.

use of the modified form of the wrench as shown in Figures 4 to 6 inclusive will b'e obvio'us from the above description, taken in conjunction with the detailed description of the construction and operation of the formshown in Figures While the band may be used. in some cases to directly engage the work, occasions may arise when it is desirable to produce a greater frictional contact between the flexible jaw and the work. Under such circumstances, I preferably provide an auxiliary jaw, as shown in Figures 7 and 8 of the drawing, this auxiliary jaw being designated 36. In order to mount the auxiliary jaw on the band ii, the jaw is provided at one side with a lug or boss 31 having an opening 38 extending therethrough and through which the band I! may be passed, as illustrated in Figure '7. The outer face of the jaw is preferably curved, as at 38, so that the band I? will lie flat against the same and assume a smooth curve, the center of which preferably coincides with the center of the work. The inner face of the auxiliary jaw 36 is preferably provided with angularly disposed, serrated work-engaging faces 40, 4!, generally corresponding to the faces 4, 5 of the main jaw 3. The angular relation of these work-engaging surfaces Mi, 4! may be varied to suit the varying conditions of the size of the work and the shape of the same, and to accommodate such varying sizes and shapes, the jaw 36 may be freely interchangeable with other auxiliary jaws, as illustrated in Figures 9, 10, 12 and'13. In Figure 9, the auxiliary jaw 42 is substantially the same as that shown in Figure 7, except that the radius of curvature of the jaw is less, and the work-engaging surfaces 63, 54 are arranged at an angle substantially perpendicular to each other. Such a jaw is more suitable for use in engaging work of relatively small diameters and square nuts, whereas the jaw 36 of Figure '7 is better suited to engage work of larger diameters and hexnuts and the like.

In Figures 12 and 13 the auxiliary jaw 45 is intended to represent a still larger form of jaw, the general construction of which is similar to the jaws 3B and 32 above referred to. However, in the jaw 35, the work-engaging faces 46, 41 are duplicated or extended from front to back, and separated by an intervenin hollow space 48, as best shown in Figure 13. Such an auxiliary jaw is more suitable for heavy duty use.

It will be understood that while the variations above mentioned have been described in relation to the band-supported auxiliary jaws, sim ilar changes may be made in the main jaw 3 with particular regard to the angular relation and shape of the work-engaging faces 4, 5.

In Figure 10, there has been shown still another auxiliary band-supported jaw 49, the inner face of which may either be plain or constructed according to any of the various forms shown in Figures 7, 9 and 12. The principal feature intended to be represented in Figure 10 is the protective covering or cushion 5! which is provided ontheinner' face 5B of' this jaw, and the purpose of which is to prevent the *jaw from scratching or marring the surfaces of thewor'k in those-cases where the work ispolished 'or' highly fini-shedi This protective cover or'cushi'on 51 may be'formed of fabric, such as canvas, or any other suitable material, and may be remova'bly'attached in any suitable manner to the jaw is. In Figure l1, a similar protective covering or cushion 52 is provided on the work-engaging face of the mains-aw 3 which will benorm'ally arranged in opposed relation to the jaw 49 of Figure 10. Clips 53, 53, or other suitable fastening means, may be employed to detachably fasten the protective cover 52 to the jaw 3.

It will be understood that the wrench may be made in different sizes, and likewise the workengag'ing jaws are preferably provided insets of different sizes for interchangeable use with a common wrench body, all of which materially contributes to the efiiciency and effectiveness of the wrench when applied to work of various types.

While the specific details have been herein shown and described, other changes and alterations may be made without departing from the spirit thereof as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A wrench, comprising a body having a jaw member movably mounted therein for adjustment in opposite directions and adapted to be projected more or less from one end of the body, said jaw member having a work-engaging surface on its projectible end which is equally effective to grip the work upon operation of the wrench in either of two opposed directions, a handle member rigidly carried by the body and extending therefrom opposite to the movable jaw member, a second jaw member comprising a flexible band disposed in opposed relation to the movable jaw member aforesaid and having one of its ends connected to the body, a U-shaped bracket pivotally connected to opposite sides of the body and having means for detachably engaging the opposite end of the flexible band, said bracket serving to contract and expand the flexible band responsive to pivotal movements of the bracket and assuming a position with its closed end transversely extended across the end of the body opposite to that from which the movable jaw is projectible when the bracket is pivoted to the flexible band contracting position, and means for releasably restraining said bracket against pivotal movement when in the last-mentioned position.

2. A wrench, comprising a body having a jaw member movably mounted therein for adjustment in opposite directions and adapted to be projected more or less from one end of the body, said jaw member having a work-engaging surface on the projectible end which is equally effective to grip the work upon operation of the wrench in either of two opposed directions, a handle member rigidly carried by the body and extending therefrom opposite to the movable jaw member, a second jaw member comprising a flexible band disposed in opposed relation to the movable jaw member aforesaid and having one of its ends connected to the body, a U-shaped bracket pivotally connected to opposite sides of the body and having means for detachably engaging the opposite end of the flexible band, said bracket serving to contract and expand the flexible band responsive to pivotal movements of the bracket and assuming a position with its closed end trans- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Low Jan. 14, 1890 Number Number 15 Number Name Date Chamberlin Mar. 28, 1905 Peck Apr. 4, 1911 Fessenden Apr. 1, 1913 Corder July 6, 1915 Glasscock Dec. 30, 1919 Smith Sept. 5, 1922 McDonald Nov. 7, 1922 Grant Apr. 12, 1927 Hopkins May 4, 1937 Koenig Sept. 28, 1937 Cook Dec. 19, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Germany Jan. 20, 1931 

